Saturday, October 29, 2011

Your Handy Dandy EnergyGate Cheat Sheet #solyndra [Updated]

Trying to keep track of all of the government-authorized theft of taxpayer dollars in the name of "green energy"? I know: it's difficult, given that new disclosures seem to occur daily.

For that reason, I've assembled a running cheat sheet to help keep all of the Democrat politicians, the crony capitalists, the conflicts-of-interest, and the outright criminality straight. I know, I know -- it's a difficult job, but someone's got to do it.

• James Johnson, erstwhile Fannie Mae chairman during the height of its subprime lending, was a bundler for Obama in 2008 and is listed as raising as much as $500,000 for the 2012 race • Johnson also heads Washington-based Perseus Group • Johnson's Perseus investments include the Vehicle Production Group, which received $50 million in "clean energy" loans

• Patrick Murphy, a confidant of Harry Reid, was paid at least $290,000 by "clean energy" company SunPower • Murphy wasn't the only beneficiary; SunPower's political action committee also gave more than $16K to Democrat Congressional candidates in 2010 • The son of Rep. George Miller (D-CA) is SunPower's top lobbyist and Miller visited SunPower last October with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar • Miller and Murphy appear to have helped SunPower get $1.2 billion in loan guarantees from the DOE

• Harry Reid, according to The New York Times, "was instrumental in securing" DOE financing for "clean energy projects on government-owned land" • Reid, in particular, helped secure $145 million for a company called "Nevada Geothermal Power" • Reid has not publicly commented on a recent audit by Deloitte & Touche that expressed doubt that the company would survive • Reid also hasn't called for investigations of where the taxpayers' money went; he's apparently too busy

• Anthony Podesta raised over $350,000 for Democratic campaign committees this year • Podesta's lobbying company has received roughly $670,000 in the last two years lobbying on behalf of a "green energy company" called SolarReserve • Podesta's lobbying apparently helped get SolarReserve a $737 million DOE loan last week

• Ronald Pelosi is the brother-in-law of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi • Pelosi is an executive with Pacific Corporate Group, a private equity group • Pelosi's firm invested in SolarReserve • Pelosi's firm benefited directly when the DOE approved a $737 million loan last week

• Billionaire George Kaiser raised at least $50,000 for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. • Kaiser's company, Solyndra, received a $535 million loan guarantee from DOE. • Kaiser's company received the loan before DOE received final copies of outside reviews of the deal. • Kaiser is also listed as a board adviser with SolarReserve, the Pelosi-linked firm that received a a $737 million DOE loan last week

• Steven Spinner raised $500,000 for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. • Spinner then became one of Energy Secretary Steven Chu's key loan advisers. • Spinner later wrote that he "helped oversee the more than $100 billion" in loans and guarantees. • Spinner executed 29 stock trades in energy companeis while serving as a DOE adviser • Spinner held shares in at least four companies that received DOE loans • Spinner's wife's law firm collected around $2.5 million while representing Solyndra • Spinner's wife's law firm also represented two other companies that received $34 million from DOE

• Steve Westly raised $500,000 for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. • Westly then became one of Energy Secretary Steven Chu's key advisers. • Westly was an investor in five firms that received half a billion dollars in energy grants and loans from DOE.